Marilyn Burns (born Mary Lynn Ann Burns; May 7, 1949 – August 5, 2014) was an American actress. Burns is known for portraying survivor Sally Hardesty in Tobe Hooper's influential horror film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). Burns was raised in Houston, Texas and after graduating with a drama degree at the University of Texas, Austin, she made her first film appearance in Robert Altman's comedy film Brewster McCloud (1970). After a brief cameo The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1995), Burns took a 17-year break from acting in feature films till she returned in Butcher Boys (2012), directed by Kim Henkel who co-wrote The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.